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In "Last Ride," Kev(Hugo Weaving) travels through Australia with his young son Chook(Tom Russell), even making himself somewhat presentable at a pit stop. That's maybe because their next stop is to see Maryanne(Anita Hegh), an old friend, who Kev tells his son not to let slip anything about Max(John Brumpton). In any case, she lets them stay for breakfast and she has sex with Kev on the condition that they do not stay any longer. Before they leave, Kev misleads her that they are going to Adelaide...

While not entirely anything new storywise and dragging towards its inevitable conclusion, "Last Ride" does have some things going for it like great cinematography, not only in everyday scenes, but also in how it captures the spectacular scenery of the Australian outback. The movie also has a fine way of gradually dispensing information and backstory.(Unlike say the impossibility of Charlie Rose being shown in a bar in "Breaking Bad.") And Hugo Weaving is excellent playing a mostly dispicable man(about 90 to 95% worthless, even after a revelation. Your mileage may vary.) who is in danger of passing down his violent ways to his son.(Chook using makeup and lipstick is harmless, so don't worry about it.) But Weaving is too good, leaning on Kev's worst traits which does not explain any attraction women have for him, nor any other kind of human being.

slightly lightweight father and son drama that doesn't add up to too much. Some good set pieces and a few interesting character twists, carefully built up through the slimmest of gestures, glances and half-phrases, are undone as the motivation for much of the action once again is traced back to sexual abuse, which is now the "deus ex machina" of modern drama. Good acting though, and some photogenic landscape scenes. Weaving is a touch too polished to be believable as ex jailbait father with a violent streak and anger management problems.

Visually striking and emotionally in tune, "Last Ride" takes a father and son road trip and puts it on the backdrop of the Australian outback. Not quite the normal road trip adventure, Kev (Hugo Weaving) is on the run from the law for reasons we're not privy to immediately while his son Chook (Tom Russell) is along for the ride, with nowhere else to go. Hugo Weaving dominates this performance, bringing to life this tortured ex-convict, who may be rough with his son, but deep down shows true affections. Tom Russell, a relatively newcomer to film captures the innocence and naivete of this role, but also grabs a hold of the tougher scenes and doesn't let go. There's a subtle nature to Glendyn Ivin's first feature length film, with a thin line between what could happen and what does happen as we travel across back roads with these characters. With one of the most gorgeous visual experiences laid out in the form of the vast flat salt lake, Lake Gairdner, "Last Ride" stays with you well after the credits roll thanks to cinematography from Grieg Fraser. Capturing one of the most brilliant and devastating endings to a film in recent memory, there's a poetic vibe that resonates from "Last Ride" and sets the bar indefinitely higher for future dramatic films.

Last Ride (2009): This is essentially a two-man show, relying heavily on its central figures to absorb an audiences' attention, and with Hugo Weaving and newcomer Tom Russell in these roles of a man on the run with his imaginative ten-year-old son in tow, we're in safe hands.

The screenplay, based on Denise Young's novel, doesn't tread any new territory, but Glendyn Ivin's beautifully photographed and solidly performed feature film debut, gradually captivates and has a lot to say about the differing aspects of manhood in contemporary Australia.